Baling and weighing scale



(No M de J. S WATTERS. 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

BALING AND WEIGHING SCALE.- No. 454,958. PatentedJune 30,1891.

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(NO Model.) J S. 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

BALING AND WEIGHING SCALE. No. 454,953. Patented June 30,1891.

' UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN S. \VATTERS, OF THE UNITED STATES NAVY, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-THIRD TO FRANK EHMETT, OF NElV ORLEANS, LOUISIANA.

BALING AND WEIGHING SCALE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 454,953, dated June 30, 1891.

Application filed October '7; 1890. $erial No. 367,807- (No model.)

To all whom it Hwy concern: suitable rollers T, and, if desirable, steadied Be it known that I, JOHN S. \VATTERS, a by means of Springs 8. Above the shaft, supcitizen of the United States, ensign, United ported and operated in any suitable manner, States Navy, have invented a certain new is a plunger or platen 9 for compressing the 55 5 and useful Improvement in Cotton Boxes and cotton. Under the platform c is a solid base Presses, of which the following is a specifior foundation 10, on which the platform may cation. rest. From the center of the platform a pin It is common for farmers raising cotton to 11 projects downwardly and rests on a lever put the raw cotton up in rough bales at the 12, as clearly shown in the drawings. At the 60 farm or plantation and to transport it to a bearing-point a steel block is preferably set press, where it is thoroughly compressed and into the iron lever to provide a more permacarefully baled. Owing to the fact that the nent and better support for the platform. farmers rely on their judgment as to the The pin llis also usuallymade of steel. The amount to put in each bale, the bales vary lever forms a part of a suitable weighing 65 I largely in weight, and this makes itnecessary apparatus 13, indicated at the right of the to weigh each bale and to keep track of the shaft. The upper scale-beam is supposed to weight of each separate bale until it finally be graduated from one to five hundred pounds reaches the consumer. This evidently enin hundreds, and the lower beam is supposed tails a great deal of trouble and expense. It to be graduated from one to one hundred in 70 would not be impossible to add or take away pounds; but this arrangement is not essena quantity of cotton from each bale before it t-ial. was put into the press for final baling; but 14 is the fulcrum of lever 12, and this fulthis would be somewhat difficult and troublecruin is movable by means of the lever 15 and some. I propose to automatically weigh the screw 16 or by any other suitable means. 7 5 cotton during the preliminary baling on the The space between the bottom of the shaft farm or plantation, so that each bale as it and the platform (which is a trifle longer goes to the press shall be of standard weight, than the height of a rough bale) is inclosed and I accomplish this result by an apparatus by doors or flaps 17, one for each side of the somewhat similar to that which has been berectangular shaft, and which are preferably 80 3o fore suggested for baling hay, &c.,which aphinged at the bottom and have latches or paratus is of improved construction, as hereother means near the top for holding them in inafter fully pointed out and claimed. place.

In the accompanying drawings, whichillus- 18 is'an electric hell or other signal intrate the invention, Figure 1 is a side view strunient, which is preferably placed above 85 of an apparatus embodying myimprovement. the upper floor and is connected by means of Fig. 2 is a View at right angles thereto, and a circuit with the battery 19 and a circuit- Fig. 3 is a plan view of the cotton box or controller at the weighingmachine. As shaft: shown in Fig. 1, the circuit from the battery The boX or shaft 1, into which the loose cotleads to the fulcrum of the scale-beam. A 90 40 ton is thrown, preferably terminates at or ad spring 20 is arranged near to but insulated jacent to the fioor2 and extends downwardly from the scale-beam, but in such position nearly to the lower floor Below the shaft that when the scale-beam moves contact will is a platform 4, from which rise four metalor be made and the circuit closed. other suitable standards 5. One of these The manner of using this apparatus is as 5 standards is connected to the shaft at each follows: The screw 16 is turned to raise the corner, preferably by means of a flange 6, fulcrum ll into contact with pin 11, thus which is bolted to the shaft. The standards raising the platform and the vertically-movamay be cut away slightly below the shaft to ble shaft 1 away from the base 10, on which make more space for the removal of the bale. it previously rested. One of the weights on roe The shaft passes loosely through the hatchthe scale-beam is then adjusted to balance way in the floor 3, being preferably guided by the platform and the superposed shaft. The

other weight of the scale-beam is then placed at the point indicating the weight of cotton desired in the bale-say five hundred pounds. The loose cotton is then thrown into this shaft from the upper floor and falls through the shaft to the platform below. Since the shaft is freely movable in the vertical direction, the weight of cotton placed therein will be correctly indicated. This would not be the case were the shaft fixed in the usual manner by reason of the friction between the inner surface of the shaft and the cotton. l/Vhen the proper amount of cotton has been introduced, the scale-beam tips, closing the circuit at and ringing the alarm. This informs the workman that he should stop putting in cotton. The platen is then lowered, compressing all of the cotton into the space between the bottom of the shaft and the platform. This, however, should not be done until the screw 16 has been turned back, lowering the platform onto the solid foundation. The doors are then lowcred, and the bagging, before the cotton is introduced, is laid upon the platform, and a second piece,which is placed over the cotton, is bound around the cotton, making a rough bale, which is technically called a boxed bale. This is then slid out between .the standards 5 and the doors again closed,when the apparatus is in condition for the reception of more cotton. This rough bale may then be transported to a suitable power-press, where it may be further compressed and neatly baled for transportation by rail or otherwise.

By this simple apparatus the difficulty heretofore mentioned is entirely overcome and great gain thereby effected.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is- 1. The combination of a vertically-mo"able shaft for the reception of cotton, &c., a platform below the shaft, standards from the platform to the shaft for supporting the same, means for pressing the cotton below the bottom of the shaft, whereby it may be removed between the standards, and a weighing device supporting the platform, substantially as described.

2. The combination of a vertically-movable shaft for the reception of cotton, &c., a platform below the shaft, standards from-the platform to the shaft for supporting the same, doors for inclosing the space between the platform and shaft, and a weighing device supporting the platform and shaft, substantially as described.

3. The combination, in an apparatus for baling cotton, &c., of a hollow shaft terminating at or near the level of a floor and freely movable vertically, means for compressing cotton in the shaft, a platform below the shaft and supporting the same, and a weighing device supporting the platform, substantially as described.

4. The combination of a hollow shaft for receiving cotton, &c., a platform supporting said-shaft, a weighing device, means for connecting and disconnecting the weighing device to and from the platform, and means for compressing cotton in the shaft, substantially as described.

5. The combination of the shaft or box for the reception of cotton, &c., the platform below the shaft, the weighing-scale adapted to support the platform and shaft, and the movable fulcrum or pivot for the scale-lever,substantially as described.

6. The combination of a hollow shaft free to move vertically for the reception of cotton, the platform supporting said shaft, a rigid seat for the platform, and means for transferring the platform from the seat to the Weighing device, substantially as described.

7. The combination of the vertically-movable shaft or box for the reception of cotton, &c., the weighing device supporting the shaft, the adjustable fulcrum for the weighing device, and the lever with means for moving it for raising or depressing the fulcrum, substantially as described.

8. The combination of a vertically-movable shaft for the reception of cotton, &c., a platform below the shaft and supporting the same, a weighing device supporting the platform and shaft, and an alarm operated by movement of the weighing device, substantially as described.

This specification signed and witnessed this 23d day of September, 1890.

JOHN S. WATTERS.

Witnesses:

CHAS. S. CLARK, CHAS. M. HERO. 

